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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · mine · snap · stock · bore · branch · rest · racket

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rest — a break
  4. spring — the season
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. snap — to click
  8. stock — shares
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stock — goods
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bore — to tire
  20. branch — a division
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bore — to drill
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com